Aziz Hashim: Franchisees Should Be Equal To Franchisors

Franchisee Aziz Hashim, a recipient of franchise awards and a well-known leader in the industry, speaks about what a good franchisor leader looks like from the vantage point of a franchise owner. This is part of Blue MauMau’s ongoing series seeking to understand what sort of leadership and environment it takes for franchise owners to flourish.

Named as the National Restaurant Association‘s “Franchisee of the Year,” to name just one of many awards, Aziz Hashim is president and CEO of National Restaurant Development Inc., a quick service restaurant operator and developer. His firm owns nearly 60 restaurants under the Popeye’s, Checkers/Rally’s and Domino’s brands. The company formerly owned Subway sandwich shops too.

Hashim has a big operation. His Atlanta-based firm employs 1,200 people in California, Arizona, Georgia and Florida. Some are even former franchisor executives.

The franchisee CEO argues that chief executives of franchisor companies often have difficulty gaining franchisee support because they do not know how to speak or persuade from a CEO to CEO level. They fall back on top-down corporate management techniques. He thinks that style serves the franchisor CEO poorly when leading a brand’s franchise network.

BMM: What’s been your experience on how the CEOs of your best franchisors gain the support of franchisees?